Jamie returns to ring... but in different sport

New Stevenson fighter Jamie McGinnis made his return to the ring years after being told he would never fight again last week... only now in a different sport.
McGinnis with some of the youths who attend his gymMcGinnis with some of the youths who attend his gym
McGinnis with some of the youths who attend his gym

The kickboxing champion has made the switch to boxing after years of recovery from a leg injury in 2013 and quickly won his boxing debut against Manchester’s Tom Murry.

He said: “I put him down in the first round. He was trying to show off and move around but I kept my composure and held my own.

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“I think he saw that it was my first boxing fight but didn’t realise I have been a kickboxing champion so didn’t know what to expect.”

Jamie was told by doctors that he wouldn’t not have enough mobility in his knee to compete in the ring again, but was determined to prove them wrong. “I’m not finished being a fighter and still have that spirit.”

He has always been interested in boxing and was planning on competing in the sport until he found success in kickboxing.

The transition was smoother than if it was the other way round, he said, as he doesn’t have to worry about opponents using their legs in fights anymore.

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Jamie currently has four more bouts booked for the coming year, with his next fight coming up on June 10.

He added: “I’m taking it one fight at a time and then taking it from there.”

He opened a gym in Carfin Industrial Estate, Elite Kickboxing and Fitness Gym, during his recovery time so has remained as busy as ever.

“The kids there get to see what I go through in training and recovery and then see me make it to a fight.”

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Though at the moment he says the primary focus is on his boxing career at the moment. “When I’m done being the best fighter I can be, then I will be the best teacher I can be,” he said.

He also express his thanks to Councillors Helen McKenna and Peter Nolan, who he said have been working hard to secure sponsorship for the gym. And he added that he and the gym are always looking for local businesses to get involved with sponsorship and implored anyone interested to get in touch.

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